Table of Contents
Introduction: A Non-Reader's Take on Joy ix
1 Catholic Lite 1
Faith That Can't be bullied by Life
2 I'm Not Your Girl 11
Jumping Without a Net
3 Cancer Schmancer 21
Choosing How the Story Goes
4 A Nice Round Head 37
Uncovering Strength
5 The Joy in Getting Lucky 49
Celebrating the Little Wins
6 You Get To 61
Learning to Treasure What You Didn't Want
7 She's Still Your Friend 75
Loving People Where They Are
8 The Joy in Exercising 89
What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger
9 Maybe She's Bad at Math? 103
Looking Beyond Comparison
10 Mom's Red-Hot Toenails 117
Holding on to Joy for Dear Life
11 My Lobster 133
Learning to Fight for Each Other
12 Kim's Rak 147
Discovering the Power of Random Acts of Kindness
13 #Kimsmillion 163
Finding Healing in a Legacy
14 It's a One-Woman Job 177
Finding the Courage to Choose
Epilogue: It's a Real-Life Miracle 189
Acknowledgments 197
Conversation Starters 203
About the Author 209